War that Breaks the Heart
by ShadowX-Over.Writer
Summary: AU. War breaks out all over the four Kingdoms of the Princes, causing financial problems for the people. Haruka then travels to the capitol in search of work. However, she never would have imagined working for one of the most important people in the Southern Kingdom.
1. Wipe Your Tears

_Disclaimer: I own none of the characters except for OC's_

* * *

_**Wipe Your Tears**_

_Hundreds of years ago, the Kingdom of Princes was born. The King of the land allowed his four sons to govern the four parts of the Kingdom. The North was governed by the oldest son, the East by the second oldest, the South by the third oldest, and the West by the youngest son. Though there were years of great prosperity, it would not last._

_The oldest son eventually wanted more. He had found that his part of the Kingdom was lacking in certain crops, which were abundant in the Western and Eastern areas. Deciding it would be best to expand his territory, the oldest son crossed over the boundaries and took over the land in the northern sections of the East and West._

_This caused disputes to erupt between the Kingdoms, which continued to escalate when both East and West crossed into the South to make up for what they lost to the North._

_Out of rage, the South fought back against the invasion from the East and West, which eventually lead to war. _

_Civil War broke out between the four territories, causing thousands to lose their lives amongst the struggle. Blood soaked the land as land and resources started to become scarce. _

_The war dragged on for years and the territories were beginning to deteriorate. This eventually lead to the awakening of the Great Beasts, the dormant rulers of the land. Upon seeing their lands lain waste, the Great Beasts became angry and sought out the four princes. _

_As punishment for their greed, the princes were placed under a curse, causing them to become animals and were stripped of their titles. _

_In order to quell the fighting, the four territories were separated into four individual Kingdoms. _

_Afterwards, the four princes were banished deep into their lands, forced to live the rest of their lives as animals. The only way for them to assume their human forms was to drink the water from the four grand lakes, located in each Kingdom. However, the effect only lasts a couple of hours._

_They became the first animal people, which are animals who can assume human form. _

_Despite having broken up the Civil War, relations between the four Kingdoms were still tense and unstable. _

_Even to this day, the Kingdoms are still at war with one another._

_Will peace ever be achieved?_

* * *

She didn't know what to think. Just a few hours ago she had arrived in the capitol of the Southern Kingdom searching for a job. Now, Haruka found herself being lead into the Kamo* Palace, home to the ruler. Never in all of her life did she ever imagine that she would set foot in such a rich atmosphere.

However, her excitement soon turned to anxiety and nervousness. She wasn't coming to the palace as a guest, more like a prisoner.

'How did it come to this…?' Haruka sighed to herself.

_(**Flashback**)_

_Haruka's eyes widened at the sight of the lively capitol. People hurried through the streets as vendors called out to them to take a look at their merchandise. There were so much more things going on than in the village she was from. _

_Haruka had grown up in a small village near the border with the Eastern Kingdom. After her parents passed away from an epidemic, her grandmother took her in. _

_Now, she was trying to find a job so she could pay to take care of both her and her grandmother. Unfortunately, there weren't many jobs available in the village she lived in. So she decided that her best bet was to find one in the capitol. _

_However, she never expected the capitol to be this busy. As she walked through the busy streets, she felt her vision start to blur. _

_When she was little, her health wasn't the best and constantly fell ill. Growing up in the countryside with her grandmother helped, but whenever she came into contact with a lot of noise at once, she would be on the verge of passing out. _

_There was too much noise and it was overwhelming. She picked up her pace, desperate to escape all the noise of the capitol. However, everything was blending together and all she could see were blurry shapes. Her steps were beginning to waver and felt as if she was going to pass out any moment. _

_As she rushed through the lively streets, Haruka accidentally slammed into someone, sending her stumbling backwards. _

_She let out a cry before backing up against one of the large displays in front of one of the many merchant stalls. A sudden crash followed and Haruka glanced over her shoulder to see several broken vases on the ground._

_"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" the merchant cried. "Do you know how much all of this cost me?!"_

_"I-I'm so sorry! It was an accident." Haruka said, bowing. _

_"Apologies aren't going to replace all the damages! Each vase cost a hundred silver coins!"_

_"O-One hundred…?!" Haruka repeated. She looked down at the wreckage and guessed there were about seven broken vases. That meant it was a grand total of seven hundred silver coins to replace everything that was broken._

_There was no way she could replace all of that with the little money that she had._

_"I came to the capitol to find a job since I don't have much money. So please, let me make it up to you some other way…"_

_"I'll take care of it."_

_Haruka's eyes widened in surprise as she whirled around to see the person she had run into._

_He was a tall, handsome young man with straight, dark blue hair. From the way he dressed, Haruka figured he was rather wealthy._

_"You're going to pay for all the damages? Do you really have enough money?" The merchant asked skeptically. _

_The young man nodded. "I think I can manage."_

_Without another word, he reached into his pocket and took out a small pouch before he tossed it onto the table._

_The merchant narrowed his eyes suspiciously as he untied the bag and dumped the contents out. Upon seeing the contents of the pouch, both the merchant and Haruka's eyes widened in shock._

_"Will that cover the damage?" the young man asked._

_"M-More than enough…is it really alright for you to give this much away?" the merchant stammered._

_"There must be about twenty gold pieces!" Haruka said in awe._

_The young man merely shrugged. "I wasn't doing anything important with them anyways."_

_With that he took his leave._

_"Ah! I'm really sorry about all of this!" Haruka bowed once more to the merchant before she took off after the blue-haired man._

_"W-Wait!"_

_The young man paused and glanced over his shoulder to see Haruka rushing over to catch up to him._

_Once she caught up to him, she paused to catch her breath before giving him a grateful smile._

_"Thank you so much for helping me out of that predicament. Please, you have to let me repay you somehow."_

_The young man was silent, staring at her with a cool, guarded gaze. _

_"You do realize how much gold coins are worth?"_

_"Eh?" Haruka's smile was gone in an instant._

_"In that pouch were exactly twenty seven gold coins. Do you really think you can replace it all? Besides, you were the one who inadvertently ran into me. You owe quite a debt to me."_

_"U-Um…I…" Haruka took a couple steps backwards as the man's cold, violet eyes seemed to bore right through her._

_"And if I recall, you said that you don't have much money nor a job, correct?" the man said as he took a step towards her._

_Haruka felt her pulse quicken. Alarms were going off in her head, telling her to run. _

_Before she could react, the man suddenly reached out and grabbed hold of her wrist, preventing her escape._

_"Ah!" Haruka cried as the blue-haired stranger studied her for a moment. She felt her breath get caught in her throat at their close proximity. Never before had she been this close to a boy, especially not one as handsome as this young man.  
_

_"In that case," the blue-haired man said as he leaned down to look her in the eye._

_Haruka recoiled slightly under his gaze. Anxiety was coursing through her body as she wondered what was going to happen to her. _

_"You can work for me to pay off your debt." The man whispered._

_"W-What…?"_

_Before Haruka could get a clarification, the young man had already started dragging her down the market street._

_"Stop! Let me go!"_

_(**End of Flashback**)_

Haruka let out a sigh and looked up at her "captor." She wondered who he was and why he was bringing her to the palace.

Upon seeing them, the palace guards scrambled to open the gate, further confusing her.

Once they stepped inside, Haruka's eyes widened in awe. The main throne room was enormous and was decorated with fine, marbled tile. Chandeliers lined the ceilings and lead the way down the long hallways.

"This way." The young man said as he led her down one of the several hallways. Though Haruka didn't understand why he would bother telling her if he was still holding onto her wrist.

As she was being led down the hall, she couldn't help but wonder about the man in front of her.

Who was this man? Did he work here in the palace? Would she be working as his assistant? At least, that's what she hoped to become instead of a mistress. She had heard many stories of women being taken into wealthy men's homes to become mistresses against their will.

The thought was enough to cause the young woman to go into a panic. She slowed down her pace slightly, causing her to jerk forward slightly from the blue-haired man's pace.

He paused and glanced over at her, finally letting go of her wrist. "What's the problem?"

"I…!" Haruka squeaked as her whole face flushed.

The young man looked at her curiously as Haruka mumbled to herself incoherently.

"I can't hear you."

"I…I WON'T BECOME YOUR MISTRESS!" Haruka suddenly yelled, her voice echoing off the walls of the room.

The man stared at her with a blank yet confused expression. Haruka's face immediately went red after realizing what she had just said.

"T-That is…I mean…"

It took a moment for the man to regain his composure from Haruka's sudden outburst, a light dust of red covering his cheeks.

"…I was merely going to give you a job as my assistant." The blue-haired male said with an embarrassed cough at the end.

"Huh?" Haruka looked up at him perplexed.

He let out an exasperated sigh. "I was going to make you my assistant, _not_ my mistress."

After his words sunk in, Haruka turned a darker shade of red that extended down her neck and quickly turned to avoid his gaze.

"I-I-I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean t-to assume…ah…"

An awkward silence passed between them as Haruka fidgeted nervously with her hands.

"Oh…I…I don't think I've introduced myself yet. My name is Haruka Nanami," Haruka said, trying to ease awkwardness that she had put in between them. "What's yours?"

The young man's eyes flicked over her as Haruka wondered what he was thinking. His gaze was cold and guarded, letting not a single emotion show through those violet orbs of his.

"…Masato Hijirikawa." he finally said.

Hijirikawa…The name sounded familiar, but Haruka couldn't quite remember where she heard it before.

"YOUNG MASTER!"

The sudden outburst immediately snapped Haruka out of her thoughts.

An elderly man dressed in Eastern Kingdom-like clothing came barreling over to them, nearly running into her.

Haruka let out a surprised cry and stumbled a couple steps back, though the newcomer ignored her.

"Young master, where have you been?! I've been searching everywhere for you!"

"Jii…" Masato let out an exasperated sigh.

"You can't always go off without an escort. What if something were to happen and nobody would know?! What if those infernal westerners attacked?!" Jii cried.

"I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself, Jii. Besides, I was only taking a walk around the marketplace."

"The marketplace?!" Jii exclaimed in horror. "Do you know how many robberies happen along that block?! That place is much too dangerous for a prince such as yourself, young master."

Haruka let out a surprised gasp, catching the attention of both Masato and Jii.

This person…the person she would soon be working for…was the prince of South Kingdom?

Her mind started reeling and she slowly sank to the floor from the overwhelming news.

_Grandma…how did this happen…? How did I get myself in this mess…? From this day forward…I'll be working for the prince…_

* * *

**A/N: Hope you all enjoyed and if there is any way to make this better, please feel free to tell me.**

**_*Kamo = duck (the animal) in Japanese_**


	2. It Will Start Moving Someday

_Disclaimer: I own none of the Utapri characters as they are owned by Broccoli  
_

* * *

**_It Will Start Moving Someday_  
**

Once Haruka had composed herself, Masato led her to where she would be staying as she worked for him. Initially, she had resisted the idea of staying in the palace since it was so much nicer than she could ever afford.

However, Masato reassured her that it was fine since she would be sharing a room with another servant anyways.

Jii, Masato's butler was against the idea of allowing a young lady to stay at the palace considering she was literally just dragged off the street. Masato merely stated that it wasn't permanent and she could leave once her debt was paid off.

"You'll start tomorrow. So get some rest." Masato said as he opened the door to her room.

It was a simple room with two beds and a small table in the middle. There was a single dresser with a mirror along the wall next to a viewing window with curtains hanging delicately in front of it. A fairly large wardrobe sat along the wall across the dresser.

Despite it being a servant's quarters, Haruka had to admit it still looked very nice compared to rooms she's seen in some of the inns.

"Make yourself at home." Masato said.

"Okay, thank you." Haruka replied with a nod.

Without another word, Masato stepped out and closed the door, giving her some time to herself.

She walked over to the bed and laid down. Staring up at the ceiling, Haruka wondered what was going to happen to her.

Not too long after Masato had left, the door suddenly opened.

Haruka quickly sat up to see a woman with long, bushy red hair and vibrant red-violet eyes walk in.

"Ah, so you're the new servant around here."

"A-Ah, yes! I'm Haruka Nanami." Haruka said as she scrambled to her feet and bowed courteously.

The woman laughed. "No need to be so formal. We're both servants after all. My name is Tomochika."

Haruka gave her a nervous smile. "Pleased to make your acquaintance."

"From this point on looks like we'll be roommates," Tomochika said. "But I must say, you sure know how to make a good first impression."

"Huh?"

"You know, shouting at the prince that you don't want to become his mistress."

Haruka's face immediately lit up in embarrassment before hanging her head. "Y-You heard that…?"

"It was a little hard not to. Those hallways echo pretty well." Tomochika said with a chuckle.

"I see…"

"Aw don't make such a face. I would be pretty freaked out too if some random guy took me to his place," Tomochika said.

She came over to Haruka's side and patted her on the head.

Haruka looked up at her in surprise as the young woman gave her a reassuring smile.

"You don't have to worry so much. I'm sure whatever the prince has in store for you it won't be terrible. Besides, if anyone gives you any trouble, I'll be there to help you out in a pinch!"

Her words caused a light blush to appear on Haruka's cheeks. She never had anyone say that to her other than her grandmother. This was the first time that someone was offering to be friends with her.

While living with her grandmother, Haruka was not able to interact with other kids her age due to her weak body. So having Tomochika offering to watch out for her during her time here made her elated.

"Thank you…" Haruka said with a warm smile.

"There you go. You finally smiled." Tomochika said.

There was a knock at the door, causing Haruka and Tomochika to look up.

"Come in!"

A maid entered with a small curtsy. "Miss Tomochika, dinner is starting soon."

"Yes," Tomochika said before she turned back to Haruka. "I have to go help serve dinner. We can talk more tonight once my duties are finished."

Haruka nodded as Tomochika followed the other maid out the door.

She was one again left in her room by herself. Despite being overwhelmed by the whole situation, she was more curious about what was going on in the palace. It would be interesting to go exploring, but if she were to go walking around there would be no doubt she'd get lost.

Instead, she decided to lay down on the bed and rest. As she laid there, she felt her eyes get heavy and within moments was fast asleep.

* * *

_She had a fever. Her breath was heavy and she was breaking out into sweat as snow descended upon the ground. She didn't know where she was going. All she knew was that she had to get somewhere so she kept walking despite the fever. _

_It was cold and she felt her senses start to numb. She soon fell to the ground in exhaustion. Despite trying to get back up, she couldn't. _

_'I have to get there…I have to get there…'_

_She didn't understand. Where did she have to go to so badly?_

_Suddenly, she felt her body being lifted up. Her eyes were closed, but she could tell that however was carrying her was strong and warm. _

_"W-Who are you…?" she managed._

_Using what was left of her strength, she opened her eyes to see her savior. However, her view was obscured due to her high fever and could not make out who it was. _

_"It's all right…" the person said in a gentle, warm voice. "…I'll help you get there…"_

* * *

"Haruka, wake up~"

Haruka reluctantly opened her eyes upon hearing her name.

She glanced over to see Tomochika standing over her bedside. It took her a few moments to remember where she was. Once it clicked, she quickly sat up in bed in a frantic state.

"Am I late?!" Haruka cried.

Tomochika let out a sigh. "No, I just woke up not too long ago. Though it'd be best to get ready before you really are late."

"Uh, right." Haruka said as she slid out from underneath the blanket.

That was strange; she could have sworn that she fell asleep on top of the covers.

'Tomochika must have put it over me last night when she got back,' Haruka figured.

As she got herself ready for her first day, her mind drifted back to her dream. It was still fresh in her head and wondered who the person she saw was. Their face was blurred so she couldn't tell.

'Who was that? And why do I feel like I've heard those words before?' Haruka wondered.

* * *

Once Haruka was done getting dressed in her uniform, with a bit of help from Tomochika, she was lead to the prince's quarters.

"Your highness, I brought Haruka." Tomochika said after she was allowed in.

Masato glanced up from his paperwork and nodded. "Thank you. You may attend to your other duties now, Shibuya."

With a bow, Tomochika excused herself, leaving Masato and Haruka alone.

Finishing up the last few words to what he was writing, the prince stood up and walked over to Haruka.

"Since this is your first day, I'll introduce you to all the tasks you will be doing here along with showing you around the palace. It'll be up to you to remember how to get around."

Haruka nodded. "Okay.

* * *

Haruka spent the whole morning being shown around the palace. Though the prince was thorough in the tour, Haruka was still a little unsure if she would be able to find her way around. She was never good with directions and would constantly get lost. It was a miracle that she was even able to get to the capitol in the first place.

Through out the tour, Masato and Haruka had scarcely talked to each other. Their conversations were short and simple, not at all like her conversations with Tomochika. The only time that Masato would talk to her during the tour was when he was explaining the different rooms and their significance. The rest of the time was spent in silence.

She wished that she could strike up a longer conversation with him, but didn't know what to talk about. Their worlds were so different that she believed that he wouldn't find anything she had to say interesting.

"Is something wrong?"

Haruka snapped out of her thoughts and looked up to see Masato looking down at her.

"H-Huh?"

"You had a troubled look on your face," Masato pointed out. "Did you find something to be disagreeable?"

"N-No! It's nothing! I was just thinking about how big the palace is that's all!" Haruka cried while waving her hands in front of her face.

"Hm…"

Haruka felt her nerves act up as Masato stared at her. His guarded gaze gave away nothing and Haruka wasn't sure if he bought her excuse or not.

"…In any case, I'll introduce you to your first job," Masato said as he turned away and started walking down another hallway.

"R-Right…" Haruka said rather awkwardly as she followed after him.

She mentally smacked herself. That was the perfect chance to try and ease the awkward silence between them but she had gone and clumsily ruined it. She was caught off guard and said what first came to mind.

'I'm such a klutz…' Haruka mentally berated herself.

Masato led her into the kitchen where a couple of maids were preparing some tea. Upon his entrance, the maids stopped what they were doing and bowed courteously.

"Good afternoon, your highness."

Masato tipped his head in acknowledgement. "Marian, could you show Nanami how to prepare the tea and have her bring it to me in my quarters?"

A woman with long black hair smiled and bowed. "Of course, your Highness."

The prince then slightly turned towards Haruka. "Listen to what Marian has to tell you and bring the tea to my office later. I have some important business to attend to about a meeting tomorrow."

"Ah, o-okay." Haruka stammered, still feeling slightly awkward around him.

Masato excused himself and hurried out of the room. Haruka wondered how busy he was. He seemed to always be moving and preoccupied with something. It must be tiresome.

Haruka paid close attention to Marian's instructions as she took her step-by-step on how to prepare the tea. If she was going to do this until her debt was paid, she had to make sure she didn't make any useless mistakes.

Once the tea was done, Haruka took the tea tray and made her way to Masato's quarters.

"So his quarters should be over here…" Haruka said to herself as she glanced down the long hallway. "…I think."

All the hallways looked the same and Haruka couldn't tell if she had walked down one of the hallways before. Somehow she knew this would happen. It would definitely take some time before she would be able to find her way around the palace without any difficulties.

"Maybe I should ask someone for help…"

As she hurried around a corner, Haruka accidentally slammed into someone, spilling the tea all over the person.

"GAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

Haruka let out a gasp as the man looked down at his sullied clothes in horror.

"I-I'm so sorry!" Haruka cried with an apologetic bow. Thankfully the tea was not hot since it had time to cool while she tried to find her way around the palace.

"You insolent commoner! How dare you tarnish my suit! This is made from the finest silk in the whole Kingdom!" the man spat furiously.

Haruka shrank back from the hostility in his voice as he narrowed his eyes.

"I should have you arrested for such atrocities!"

"N-No! Please I-"

"Hey, hey, no need to go that far, right?"

Haruka glanced over to see another young man with messy red hair and cheerful smile on his face. However, the most distinguishable feature about him was two small, furry ears on the top of his head.

'A dog…?'

He walked over to her side and faced the other man.

"It was an accident. Besides no one got hurt, right?"

The angered man scoffed. "If you are trying to gain my sympathy, forget it! I want compensation!"

"Erm…" the redhead mumbled as he rubbed the back of his head in exasperation. "What exactly do you want?"

The man paused to think, furrowing his brow in the process. He glanced from Haruka to the redhead before a smirk etched across his lips.

Haruka swallowed nervously before the man pointed dramatically at the other redhead.

"From this point on, you will be my personal servant!"

"Eh?" Both Haruka and the other redhead said blankly.

The man grinned triumphantly as if he had thought of something ingenious. "Whenever I am at the palace, you will cater to my every whim no matter what the order. Got it?"

"Uh…"

"Hmph, then it is settled," The man said with a content grin before he shot a look at Haruka. "This ordeal can be overlooked for now, but if something like this happens again, I won't be so forgiving."

"Y-Yes." Haruka responded.

With that, the man turned on his heel and walked down the hall to the nearest washroom, grumbling about commoners.

"He was being forgiving…?" the redhead said with a sigh.

"Thank you so much!" Haruka said as she bowed. "I have to pay you back somehow."

"Nah, it's fine."

"But…you're taking my punishment. You didn't do anything…"

The redhead grinned. "Don't worry about it. I mean, I didn't help you so I could get something in return. Besides, I doubt he would be at the palace that often, right?"

Haruka looked at the young man in front of her in surprise.

His response was completely different from Masato's, who told her she owed him and dragged her off to work for him in the palace.

"Anyways, my name is Otoya Ittoki." Otoya said as he stretched out his hand towards her.

"I'm Haruka Nanami. Pleased to meet you." Haruka said with a warm smile, returning his handshake.

A tint of red appeared on Otoya's cheeks before his grin appeared back on his face.

Before he could respond, Haruka reached up and took hold of the animal ears on the top of his head.

'They're so soft!' Haruka realized in surprise as she rubbed the fur between her fingers. This was the first time she met someone from the animal race.

"E-Erm…" Otoya stammered as his blush turned darker.

"Ah! I'm sorry! I've never met an animal person before." Haruka explained, her face turning slightly red.

Otoya chuckled. "Don't worry about it, I get that a lot. Though I'm actually only half. My mother was human."

"Oh?"

"I don't think I've seen you around before. Did you just start working here?" Otoya asked, changing the subject.

Haruka nodded. "I just started today as the prince's assistant."

"Eh?! So you're the one who Masa had just taken in as an attendant!"

Haruka could only look at the young man in confusion. 'Masa…?'

"This is the first time that Masa has ever taken someone as his attendant. He always claimed that he didn't need one. I'm pretty surprised."

"Really?" Haruka said.

"Well from what I've heard and all. I haven't been working long here myself as I only started a month ago."

"But I guess that means we'll be working together then?"

Otoya nodded. "Yep, seems that way. But…"

He gestured towards the spilled tea. "For how long, I'm not sure."

Haruka let out a cry of panic upon realizing that she still had to deliver the tea to the prince. "W-What do I do?!"

"Don't worry. We'll just go to the kitchen and make another." Otoya said.

* * *

When they arrived at the kitchen, Haruka scrambled to find the all the necessary items. Unfortunately, from all the commotion from earlier, she had forgotten where the ingredients for the tea were.

"I don't make tea, so I'm not sure where all the stuff is myself. Sorry I can't be more help." Otoya said sadly.

Haruka shook her head. "No, you've done more than enough to help me today. I just have to wrack my brain on how to make this."

"Maybe I can be of some assistance."

Otoya and Haruka glanced over towards the doorway to see a young man with glasses and wavy blond hair.

"Natsuki?" Otoya said with mild surprise as the man walked over to them.

Before Haruka could respond, Natsuki went over to Otoya and started affectionately rubbing his dog-ears between his fingers as she did a few minutes ago.

"Your doggy ears are so cute, Otoya!" Natsuki cooed as Haruka looked at the newcomer in surprise.

"Please stop," Otoya said in exasperation.

"But your ears are just so small and fluffy! Just like Elizabeth's!"

Natsuki noticed Haruka and gave her a friendly smile. "Oh, how rude of me. My name is Natsuki Shinomiya."

Haruka introduced herself before Natsuki took hold of one of her hands and shook it in a friendly gesture.

"It is a pleasure to meet another fellow servant, especially one as lovely as you."

"Eh?" Haruka squeaked in surprise, her cheeks turning slightly red as Otoya's dog-ears twitched slightly in annoyance.

"Well, why don't we get that tea prepared shall we?" Natsuki said as she started going through the cupboards. "Cooking is a hobby of mine, so I know where all the ingredients are."

"That's great! Thank you so much!" Haruka said in relief.

Natsuki started pulling out random ingredients and Haruka was sure that Marian didn't use some of them.

"Um, Shinomiya…are you sure these are the ingredients?" Haruka asked.

"It's a recipe that I just recently made myself that I'm sure his highness will enjoy." Natsuki said as he happily mixed the ingredients together.

Haruka and Otoya watched as Natsuki applied various ingredients into the brew, causing them to get progressively worried.

"Done!" Natsuki said after he finished pouring the tea into the cup.

Upon a closer look, Haruka could see some purple aura emanating from the cup.

Otoya took a whiff of the tea before immediately covering his nose. "Urk…! N-Natsuki, are you sure this is okay to drink…?"

"Of course! Why wouldn't it be?" Natsuki said.

"If Shinomiya says so, it must be okay," Haruka said as she took the tray. "Besides, I think I've kept his highness waiting long enough."

"I-If you're sure…" Otoya said nervously.

Otoya and Natsuki led the way to the prince's quarters and decided to wait outside as Haruka did her job.

Haruka knocked on the door and glanced down at the discolored tea. Not only did it have a foul aroma, but also bubbled like toxic waste. What did Shinomiya even put in it?

She heard Masato invite her in and she hesitantly opened the door. Hopefully it was okay. It couldn't be too bad, could it?

"Sorry I took so long. Some things came up," Haruka said nervously as she set the tray down and handed Masato the cup.

Masato lifted an eyebrow curiously but didn't question it.

He lifted the cup to his lips and took a small sip. When the contents reached his mouth however, his face immediately contorted to that of disgust and uncouthly spat tea back into the cup.

"Ah!" Haruka cried as Masato sputtered and coughed vigorously.

After a series of hacks and coughs, Masato dropped his head onto his desk with a nauseated expression.

"YOUR HIGHNESS!" Haruka cried in horror.

**To be continued...?**

* * *

**A/N: Not too confident in my characterization of Natsuki despite watching the anime and playing his route in the game. If any of the characters become too OOC, please tell me and help me make them better. Thanks for reading! :)**


	3. Like Melting Snow

_Disclaimer: I own none of the characters except for OC's_

* * *

_**Like Melting Snow**_

Explaining the situation proved to be quite difficult, especially when Jii came in. The three of them were then subsequently thrown out of the office despite their series of apologies.

"Hmmm, I guess my recipe did not live up to his majesty's high expectations," Natsuki said with a crestfallen expression.

"Um…I don't think that was the problem…" Otoya said with a sheepish smile.

Natsuki looked at him in surprise. "Eh? Then what was it?"

Haruka's shoulders sagged in defeat. She couldn't believe how careless she was and on her first day of work.

"Aw, Cheer up, Nanami," Otoya said, noticing how down she looked. "It's going to be all right. I know he acts cold and detached most of the time, but he's actually a lot kinder once you get to know him. We'll probably just have to do some extra chores for a few weeks."

Haruka could only smile weakly and thanked both of them for their help before she excused herself to her room.

Though they offered to walk her, Haruka insisted she would be fine. As she walked down the hall, Otoya and Natsuki exchanged worried glances with one another. Despite them were both concerned, they both knew it would be best to let Haruka have some time to herself.

* * *

Despite Otoya's attempt to cheer her up, Haruka couldn't help but feel worried.

She desperately needed to pay off her debt so she could get back to helping her grandmother who was struggling financially. That's why she came to the capitol in the first place.

Her grandmother's health had started to decline recently and was admitted to a medical center in a larger town. The medical bills were far higher than what they could afford. Luckily, the center gave her a couple months before she had to start paying her fees so Haruka took it upon herself to search for a higher paying job at the capitol.

But now that she had to also pay off her debt to the prince, she wasn't sure if she would be able to pay the medical fees in time. A twinge of resentment bubbled up within her but she quickly forced it down. The last thing she needed was to create more problems between her and the prince.

However, the thought of not being able to help her grandmother in her time of need broke Haruka's heart. Tears formed at the corner of her eyes, but she quickly wiped them away.

She needed to stay strong for her grandmother, especially in her time of need. Paying off her medical bills depended on her and she would see it through till the end. Even if the payment would be delayed, she would work her absolute hardest to pay off her debts as quickly as possible.

'I have to keep doing my best. I can't get discouraged after one mistake. I have to keep going.' Haruka told herself.

Taking a deep breath, she pressed forward.

* * *

The next day, Haruka found herself unable to enter the prince's quarters without feeling anxious. After what happened the other day, she would be surprised if he ever trusted her again. She must have been standing outside his door for the past ten minutes trying to get a grip on her emotions. She had even gotten up an hour early to prepare herself. It seemed as if she needed more time.

Heaving a sigh, Haruka hesitantly lifted a hand and gently rapped her knuckles against the door.

There was no answer, causing Haruka's heart to drop. She tried knocking several more times but still didn't get a response. Maybe he really didn't want to see her.

'It's only been a day and I've already gotten fired…'

"What are you doing?"

Haruka flinched upon hearing the voice and whirled around to see a tall, young man in knight's armor and a blue uniform with a symbol that looked like a bird's talon. He had spiky blue, almost black hair and dark blue eyes, which felt as if they could bore right through her.

"I-I was just…" Haruka stammered, quickly shifting her eyes away to avoid eye contact.

The man narrowed his eyes before letting out an exasperated sigh. "His Highness is not in his office at the moment."

Haruka looked up at him in surprise. "Eh?"

"There's a meeting currently in session so he won't be back till later."

"O-Oh, I see. Thank you." Haruka said with a grateful bow.

"Hn," the man grunted. "Now, if you'll excuse me."

Haruka watched as he hurried along, his knight's cape fluttering behind him with each stride.

"Haruka!"

Haruka whirled around to see Tomochika rushing over to her.

"Huh? Was that Tokiya Ichinose just now?" Tomochika said in mild surprise.

"Who?"

"Tokiya Ichinose. He's one of the high-ranking officers of the Royal Knights," Tomochika explained. "His attitude could use some adjusting, but he's one of the best."

"Huh…" Haruka mused.

"So, what was he talking to you about?"

"He just told me that there was a meeting happening today which is why the prince isn't in his quarters." Haruka replied.

"Ah!" Tomochika gasped. "That's what I forgot to tell you the other day and you got up so early I didn't get a chance to tell you!"

"It's all right," Haruka said, though she felt slightly disappointed that she won't get to talk to the prince about the incident until later. However, from the way her heart was pounding from anxiety earlier, it was probably for the best.

"Anyways, since the prince is busy with the meeting and I don't have work until lunch, why don't we go walk around since you obviously haven't figured your way around the palace yet." Tomochika said with a teasing grin.

An embarrassed blush spread across Haruka's face.

"H-Hey! I found my way back to our room last night!" Haruka sputtered, as Tomochika chuckled at her reaction.

* * *

While Haruka and Tomochika walked around the palace, Haruka couldn't help but think about what was going on during the meeting. Tomochika had told her that they were probably discussing the current issue with the Western Kingdom.

The Western and Eastern Kingdoms held the most hostility towards the other presently and were at constant war. Though the Southern Kingdom did it's best not to get involved in the other Kingdoms' affairs, there were times where the Western Kingdom would overstep its boundaries towards them.

The Northern Kingdom declared neutrality several years ago and had been successful in staying out of the war so far.

Haruka couldn't help but frown at the thought about the war. She paused and glanced out one of the tremendous windows of the palace. Haruka spotted a couple of birds flying through the skies without a care in the world. If only they knew how lucky they were.

The four Kingdoms had always been at war with one another and Haruka wondered if this country would ever find peace.

'I would love to be able to see an end to this war…' Haruka said to herself.

"Haruka?" Tomochika said as she waved a hand in front of Haruka's face.

"Eh?" Haruka squeaked in surprise, snapping out of her thoughts.

"You were spacing out. Is everything all right?"

Haruka immediately nodded. "Y-Yes! I was just thinking about the meeting is all."

Tomochika's expression hardened. "A lot of people are probably worried about what's going on in there as well. Especially since the Western Kingdom has been pretty active lately around our borders."

Before Haruka could respond, Tomochika broke out into a grin and went behind her, placing her hands on Haruka's shoulders.

"But enough about that, why don't we go outside for some fresh air?" Tomochika said with a bright smile as she started guiding Haruka towards the front gate.

"Tomochika?! W-What are you-?! Wait!"

"No talking! Let's go!"

* * *

Once the two made it outside, Tomochika hurried Haruka to the palace's front gates.

"Tomochika, why are we here?" Haruka asked, confused by her friend's actions.

"The Guardian Patrol is coming back today and I want to get a good look at them!" Tomochika exclaimed as Haruka shot her a confused look.

"Ah, I guess you don't know since you've only been here for a couple days. The Guardian Patrol is a select group of knights that goes out every month to travel to a different town or village in the kingdom. They hunt down any Guardians that have been causing trouble in the area so the people can rest easy. They're usually gone from three to four weeks so we don't get to see them that often."

"Huh…" Haruka said awe.

"Guardian attacks have been pretty bad in the past few years which is why the King issued the patrol to defeat them two years ago." Tomochika explained.

Guardians are strange, powerful beings that mysteriously appeared not long after humans had inhabited the lands. No one knows where they came from or what they really are. Their power far surpasses human capabilities while also having longevity. However, they are revered as monsters since they would launch attacks from time-to-time.

"Oh! Here they come now!" Tomochika said excitedly, pointing to the front gate.

Haruka glanced over to see a couple of the palace guards walk over and open up the gate, allowing several armored men on horses through.

All the knights wore crimson uniforms over their armor with a wing-like pattern on the front. Some wore helmets while others did not which caused a couple of questions to pop up in Haruka's head. Wasn't it dangerous to not wear helmets?

"They're so cool!" Tomochika gushed as Haruka could only giggle at her friend's reaction.

"You did pretty good on your first patrol," One of the knights, seemingly the captain, commented to a younger knight beside him. "Keep it up and you might become an honorary knight someday soon."

"Really?!" the younger knight said, his blue eyes sparkling with excitement. "All right!"

"First, you may want to bring down that enthusiasm, Kurusu," another knight with glasses commented. "Or else you'll just end up dead in a ditch somewhere because you were too reckless."

The younger knight shot the other a heated glare. "Shut up! Who asked you, four eyes?!"

"Both of you cut it out," the head knight ordered. "That is not how proper knights should behave."

"Sorry, Captain Hyuuga…" Kurusu replied sullenly as the other knight huffed in acknowledgement.

The captain let out a sigh before one of the guards came over to his side and gave him a firm salute.

"Sir, his highness is currently holding an important meeting so your report will be delayed until it is done. You may wait inside if you wish."

Hyuuga nodded before he turned back to his squad. "Those who have something to report will wait inside with me. The rest of you may return to the shared quarters until further notice!"

Haruka had to admit that the patrol did seem impressive. They all had to be very capable if they were dispatched to combat Guardians.

"Hey you!"

Haruka glanced over to see the young, blond knight jog over to her.

Before she could respond, Kurusu dumped his heavy equipment into her arms, nearly causing Haruka to fall over from the weight.

"Hey!" Tomochika cried.

"Make sure those get cleaned and polished for tomorrow." Kurusu said with a grin.

"Who do you think you are?!" Tomochika seethed as Hyuuya promptly came over and smacked Kurusu over the head.

"Hey! What the hell was that for?!" Kurusu cried.

"The maids are not responsible for the knights' equipment." The captain replied gruffly.

"Huh?" Kurusu said in confusion. "They aren't?"

Hyuuga let out an exasperated sigh before he turned to Haruka and quickly took the heavy load from her before dumping it into Kurusu's arms.

"What are you-?!"

"Knights do not dump their burdens on others. I expect the entire patrol's equipment to be spotless before tomorrow." Hyuuya said before he walked towards the palace's doors.

Several other knights chuckled and patted Kurusu on the back, wishing him luck before handing them their equipment.

"Dammit…" Kurusu growled under his breath as parts of the armor slipped out of his arms.

"I suggest you get started, Kurusu." The knight Kurusu had previously got into an argument with commented as he dropped his equipment in front of him.

"Shut up!" Kurusu shouted as the dark-haired male walked off with a disinterested look on his face.

* * *

Not too long after Haruka and Tomochika returned from outside, one of the other maids came to inform Tomochika that they had to prepare the meal.

Now alone once more, Haruka decided to explore the palace a little more. She was a little disappointed that she didn't get to see Otoya or Natsuki. Though she knew they probably must have been busy with the meeting going let out a small sigh.

"What's with the long face, little lamb?"

"Eh?" Haruka squeaked in surprise at the sudden voice.

She whirled around to see a tall, young man with long, golden-orange hair leaning against the wall. He wore a yellow uniform over knight's armor with a beak-like symbol on the front. A playful smirk settled comfortably on his face as he rested a long, iron spear on his shoulder.

"U-Um…" Haruka stammered, slightly bewildered from the man's sudden appearance.

The man chuckled as he walked over to her. "I don't think I've seen you around before. Are you new?"

Haruka nodded, still wondering who this person was. From the looks of it, he seemed to be part of the knights. Though his uniform was different from the Guardian Patrol and Ichinose's.

"My name is Haruka Nanami." Haruka introduced herself as the man rested his spear against the wall.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, little lamb," Before Haruka could respond, the young man took her hand and lifted it up to his lips.

Haruka's face went completely red as she felt as if steam was coming out of her ears.

"Since you're new, why don't I _show you around_?" the man said with a flirtatious smile, as he drew closer to her.

"U-Um…!"

"Cut it out, Jinguji,"

Both Haruka and the young man looked over to see Masato walking over to them. His eyes were narrowed dangerously, glaring cold, daggers at Jinguji.

"Don't you have your duties to attend to?"

The young man backed off of Haruka and faced the blue-haired prince with a smirk.

"No need to be so stiff. I was only offering to show this lovely young lady around since she's new."

"There's not need for that," Masato stated firmly, putting himself between Haruka and Jinguji. "I already took the liberty of doing that myself the other day."

"Oh is that so? And what may I ask, makes this young lady so special that the mighty prince would go out of his way to show her around, hm?"

"She's my attendant, end of discussion." Masato replied coldly.

Haruka glanced from one to the other nervously, worried that a fight might break out any moment.

However, Jinguji merely chuckled and shrugged his shoulders. "Sheesh, you're so serious."

His comment caused Masato to unconsciously clench his fists as Jinguji glanced over at Haruka.

"I'll see you later, little lamb." He added with a wink before he picked up his spear off the wall and walked off.

"That guy…" Masato grumbled.

"Are you okay?" Haruka asked hesitantly. This was the first time she saw him so worked up. Whatever was going on between him and Jinguji, it obviously brought out the worst in Masato.

Upon hearing her question, Masato snapped out of his frustration and glanced over at her with a bewildered expression.

He quickly closed his eyes and rubbed his temples, trying to regain his composure.

"I apologize," Masato said. "I didn't mean for you to see me behave in that manner."

"Um, no, it's all right…" Haruka replied, not sure what else to say on the matter.

"Ren Jinguji is a notorious flirt. He didn't do anything weird to you, did he? Are you okay?" Masato asked.

Haruka looked up at him in surprise. He was worried about her?

"N-No, I'm fine. He was very nice."

"Hmm…"

The two fell into awkward silence soon after, neither one knowing what to say next.

"U-Um," Haruka stammered, trying to ease the atmosphere with conversation. "W-What are you doing here? Wasn't there a meeting today?"

"It ended not too long ago," Masato replied. "But it dragged on longer than I expected. In any case, I came looking for you since I knew you would probably be wandering around."

"Oh…am I that predictable?"

Masato looked at her in surprised before he let out an embarrassed cough. "I didn't mean it like that."

Haruka couldn't help but giggle at his reaction and quickly covered her mouth.

"What's so funny?" Masato asked, looking over at her with a curious expression.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to laugh," Haruka said with a small giggle. "It's just that this is the first time I've seen you look so…flustered."

She wanted to say "cute" but she knew that probably wouldn't be acceptable.

A small tint of red appeared on Masato's cheeks as he quickly averted his gaze. "A-Ah…"

Yesterday's incident suddenly came to mind and Haruka's smile quickly dropped.

"Oh…about yesterday…"

Before she could finish her sentence, Masato cut in.

"Don't worry about it, accidents happen. Shinomiya and Ittoki explained the situation to me earlier," Masato said. "It should be noted that Shinomiya's cooking never turns out well."

"Ah…" Haruka mentally noted never to trust Natsuki with preparing anything from now on.

"But anyways, I felt perfectly fine after a night's rest."

Haruka's eyes widened in surprise. She never expected the prince to be so understanding.

_"I know he acts cold and detached most of the time, but he's actually a lot kinder once you get to know him."_

Otoya was right. Masato was definitely a lot kinder than she had expected. Though he was polite in the beginning, Haruka had been skeptical on whether he was just putting on an act (considering he forced her to work at the palace in the first place). However his genuine show of generosity raised Haruka's respect for him.

"It's about time for lunch. Care to join me?" Masato offered.

"Huh?" Haruka said in mild surprise, being caught slightly off guard before waving her hands in front of her face. "Oh no, I couldn't! I don't want to be a bother."

"Nonsense," Masato replied. "Besides it would be nice to have real company during meals."

Haruka was hesitant at first but realized that this could be a good opportunity to be able to get to know her employer better. This was probably the longest conversation they were able to hold since working for him, despite how awkward it was.

"Well, if you insist, I suppose it would be nice. Thank you so much!" Haruka said with a warm smile.

Masato gave her a small, genuine smile of his own, nearly causing Haruka's heart to skip a beat.

She quickly sent up a small prayer hoping she won't screw anything up since that was the first time she saw him smile.

"Well then, shall we?" Masato said as he gave Haruka a gentlemanly bow and gestured with his arm towards the way to the dining hall.

Haruka giggled before the two of them headed off.

* * *

**A/N: Phew, this one was actually kind of difficult to write. I have such a hard time with introductory chapters. For some reason I had a lot of fun writing Ren. o_O Hope you all enjoyed! If you have an suggestions on what you would like to possibly see (it will be put into consideration), feel free to leave a review. Thanks for reading!**


	4. Your Future will Gleam

_Disclaimer: I own none of the characters  
_

* * *

_**Your Future will Gleam**_

"You're late, mongrel!"

Otoya let out a sigh. "Sorry, Sakuya."

The silver-haired man huffed indignantly. "That is lord Le Bel to you! Not only that, but you are supposed to be attending to my needs seconds after I set foot in the palace!"

Though he had agreed (somewhat) to serve Sakuya whenever he was at the palace to make up for the tea incident, Otoya hadn't expected him to be there _everyday._ The young man was incredibly demanding and bossy and Otoya wasn't sure how much longer he would be able to put up with his arrogant attitude.

It had been a week since the incident and Otoya was struggling to keep up with his regular duties now that he had to attend Sakuya.

'Thank goodness Masa isn't like this.'

"Hey! Listen when I'm speaking to you, mongrel!" Sakuya shouted, causing Otoya to wince.

Despite the annoyance and frustration bubbling within him, Otoya kept silent. It was probably in his best interest to keep his mouth shut lest he get even more of an earful.

"Hmph! Anyways, consider yourself lucky today as I will only need you for one task." Sakuya grumbled haughtily.

At that, Otoya's dog-ears perked up. "What?"

"I will only require you to lead me to the prince's quarters. There are certain matters I wish to discuss with him."

Relief washed over Otoya, thankful that he would now have time to attend to his regular duties.

While Otoya led the silver-haired male to Masato's office, who was going on about something or another, the redhead couldn't help but wonder how Haruka was doing.

It had been a week since she had started working at the palace. However, due to him having to attend Sakuya whenever he was around, he hardly had any free time and never got the chance to talk with Haruka as much as he wanted to.

They would see each other from time-to-time, but only for a moment as they had their duties to attend to.

Despite only knowing her for a short amount of time, there was something about her that made Otoya want to know her better. Like there was more to her than met the eye.

'If only I didn't always have to play catch up on my chores…' Otoya said mentally, while silently weeping to himself.

'No, I can't think like that! I have to think positive. Remember who you're doing this for!' Otoya scolded himself before letting out a determined huff.

He had to remind himself his situation could have been a lot worse. Though with Sakuya constantly berating him it made it a little difficult.

When they finally reached Masato's office, Otoya rapped his knuckles against the door. He was surprised however to hear a yelp come from inside the room. His dog-ears twitched slightly as he raised an eyebrow curiously.

The door then opened and Haruka rushed out, her face remarkably red.

"Nanami?" Otoya said in surprise.

"Hmph, still rushing around nearly knocking into people I see." Sakuya scoffed as Otoya secretly shot him a dirty look.

"W-What are you two doing here?" Haruka asked, her cheeks still bright red.

"I was just showing Sa- I mean, lord Le bel to his highness' office." Otoya replied as Sakuya smiled in satisfaction upon hearing his self-proclaimed title.

Haruka glanced over at Sakuya before another blush spread across her face.

"Ah, um, I need to attend to my duties, excuse me." Haruka said quickly with a bow before scurrying away.

"Eh?" Otoya said as he tilted his head to the side with one ear lifted.

"What in the world got into that commoner?" Sakuya said with a bemused expression.

Otoya looked inside Masato's office to see the prince looking just as perplexed as him.

"Um, what happened?" Otoya asked sheepishly.

Masato didn't answer immediately. However, after a moment he shook his head and started writing something down.

"I really have no idea. She has been acting quite strange lately." Masato replied slowly.

"You haven't been too hard on her, have you?" Otoya asked in a joking tone.

Masato stopped writing and glanced up at him. "I do not believe so."

"Hmm, maybe she's still intimidated by you."

The prince rested his chin against his knuckles, which was propped up by his elbow. He looked down at his the document sitting on his desk thoughtfully.

"Hm."

"Ah! Your highness!"

Sakuya quickly made his way over to Masato and bowed politely. "Pardon my intrusion, but would it be possible to spare a few minutes with a humble Le bel?"

'Humble…?' Otoya repeated in confusion. If he could describe Sakuya in one word, humble would be the farthest thing from his mind.

"I'm quite busy at the moment," Masato responded.

"Please, there are certain things I wish to converse with you about. It is of the utmost importance." Sakuya declared.

Masato seemed to mull things over for a moment before letting out a sigh of defeat. "Very well."

Sakuya turned to Otoya and made a gesture for him to leave. "Your task is done for the day, you are dismissed."

Otoya felt a tinge of annoyance flare up within him before he glanced over at the prince.

Masato gave him a small nod, giving Otoya an odd sense of relief.

A grateful expression crossed over the redhead's face before he bowed politely and excused himself from the room.

* * *

"That should do it…" Otoya mumbled to himself as he finished wiping down the last window in the hall.

Now that he was freed from Sakuya for a day, he had time to catch up on his chores. However, upon seeing that he had several more hallways to cover, he doubted he would finish before nightfall.

The redhead let out a frustrated groan before running his hands through his hair frantically.

"Gah! Why me?!"

"Aren't servants supposed to work quietly?"

Otoya flinched while letting out a yelp of surprise and whirled around to see Tokiya glaring at him coldly.

"Ah, Tokiya, you scared me," Otoya said while rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

Tokiya narrowed his eyes. "Don't refer to me in such a familiar way."

"Sorry, sorry."

"In any case, you wouldn't have happened to see a knight slacking off around here have you?" Tokiya asked.

Otoya shook his head. "No, why?"

A frustrated sigh escaped from Tokiya as he shook his head. "Never mind. It doesn't concern you. Anyways, if you'll excuse me."

Otoya scowled slightly, though he should have expected that response from the dark-haired male. He turned back to face the window and paused when he spotted a familiar redheaded figure outside.

Haruka was carrying a wooden tub filled with clothes over to the outside pump. He figured she was getting ready to do laundry.

A thought crossed his mind. Maybe he could help her. That way he could talk to her while they worked. She was acting a little strange earlier when she came out of Masato's office. Not to mention Masato had commented on her odd behavior lately. It may do some good to ask her if she's doing all right.

However…

He glanced uneasily at the next hall of windows he had to clean and his dog-ears drooped in dismay.

"Ah…"

* * *

Haruka wrung the water out of another shirt, letting the water drip down her arms as she attended to one of her newest duties. Washing clothes was not a foreign task to her as she had helped her grandmother do the laundry many times. She was somewhat thankful that she was able to do something right without too much difficulty.

While she was lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice someone walk over and kneel down beside her. The noise of splashing water snapped her out of her thoughts and she looked over to the side to see Otoya cleaning another piece of clothing in the wooden tub.

"Ittoki?!" Haruka cried in shock. "Ah! Please don't worry about that! I'll get to it eventually. Don't you have your own chores? I mean mister Le bel seems to have you pretty busy and-"

Otoya looked over at her and gave her a reassuring smile. "It's all right. A few more chores won't hurt. Besides, it'll be done faster with two people."

Haruka's expression softened before a small smile formed on her lips. "Thank you."

A small blush appeared on Otoya's cheeks before focusing his attention back on cleaning. "N-No problem."

Not too long afterwards, the two fell into comfortable small talk about different topics as they continued doing the laundry.

"…Someone accidentally knocked down a shelf of perfume at the marketplace. I couldn't smell for days!" Otoya said as Haruka giggled at his story.

"There was one time Ren told me to deliver some warm milk to Masa because he wasn't feeling well. I found out the hard way that Masa really hated milk. He actually chased after me saying I had committed treason! That was actually kind of scary…" Otoya said as he shuddered slightly at the memory.

"…I can't really see his Highness doing that." Haruka said, trying to picture the scene in her mind.

"Neither did I until it happened." Otoya muttered.

"Um, Ittoki," Haruka said as Otoya looked at her curiously. "If you don't mind me asking, why do you refer to his Highness as 'Masa'? It seems awfully familiar to refer to him that way."

Otoya chuckled. "Heh, it does, doesn't it? He does tell me not to refer to him like that in a professional atmosphere, but I sometimes forget. It's a friendly nickname I gave him when he first got me this job as a servant."

"His Highness got you a job here as well?" Haruka asked in surprise.

"Yup!" Otoya said with a smile. "It was a about a month ago that I was searching for a job so I could raise money for this orphanage I support. It was difficult because of my upbringing and race. However…"

**_-Flashback-_**

_"Get out, you stupid mutt!"_

_Otoya let out a yelp as he was suddenly shoved out the door and into the streets of the busy capitol. _

_"Hey!" Otoya cried, earning him curious glances from people passing by._

_"No flea-bitten mutt is going to work in my shop. Get lost!" the owner shouted._

_Otoya winced at the man's words, letting his dog-ears droop in disappointment. It took a long time for animals to be accepted into society but now they lived peacefully with humans. Even the Western and Eastern kingdoms had animal rulers. _

_However, despite the animals' rise in society, there were still people who held prejudices against them._

_Though he was only half and could not change into a dog's form, he was still considered to be part of the animal race just because he had dog-ears. He didn't even have a tail._

_"What is all the commotion going on over here?" asked a royal knight who had been passing by._

_"Thank goodness you're here," the shopkeeper cried before pointing accusingly at Otoya. "That dirty mutt was just about ready to ransack my store if you hadn't shown up!"_

_"W-What?!" Otoya cried in shock. "I wasn't doing anything! He's the one who kicked me out of the store!"_

_"You can't believe an animal like him! He's obviously lying through those blood-stained fangs of his!"_

_A crowd was now starting to form due to the commotion as nervous murmurs went around. _

_"Animals are kind of scary."_

_"Didn't the wolves feed on people at one point?"_

_"Not to mention that the cats from Western Kingdom have been invading our borders lately."_

_"He does look a little suspicious. I mean, look at those red eyes."_

_Otoya glanced around in bewilderment as he broke out in cold sweat._

_'They don't really think that…do they?'_

_"You see?! He's a threat to society! So do your job and get rid of him before he harms someone!" the shopkeeper insisted to the knight._

_A conflicted expression came over the knight's face as the shopkeeper continued yelling at him._

_Otoya's mind was racing, trying to figure out to do. If he ran, he would probably make the situation worse. If he spoke out against the shopkeeper, it would definitely cause another outburst. No matter what he did, the odds were against him in this situation._

_The shopkeeper's yelling ceased and Otoya shot his gaze up to see the knight walking towards him. _

_His eyes widened in horror when the knight reached for his sword._

_"What is going on here?" _

_The crowd parted like the Red Sea, allowing a tall young man with blue hair through. He was wearing a white uniform with gold lining and fabric that hung loosely from the shoulder to the neck._

_"Y-Your highness?!" the knight cried in shock, stumbling back a few steps._

_'The prince?!' Otoya thought, equally shocked._

_"I-I was just about to arrest him for disturbing the peace." The knight explained as Masato walked over to him._

_"Do you have any proof of this?" Masato asked evenly._

_"Erm…"_

_"He's an animal, what more proof do you need?!" the shopkeeper interrupted. _

_"I was not talking to you." Masato said, narrowing his eyes coldly at the man._

_The shopkeeper immediately clammed up as a chill ran down the man's spine. _

_Masato then turned his glance over to Otoya, causing the redhead to flinch. "What happened?"_

_Otoya didn't respond at first as he was still in bewilderment from the whole situation. _

_"U-Uh…I was only asking for a job beforehand but then I got kicked out." Otoya finally managed._

_"H-He's lying! You cannot trust anything he says! Animals are nothing but monsters, just like the Guardians!" the shopkeeper cut in._

_"I see…" Masato said before he walked over to Otoya._

_The redhead immediately shut his eyes, bracing for whatever was going to happen to him._

_"Are you okay?"_

_Otoya glanced up on shock to see the blue-haired man extending a hand to him._

_He looked at the prince in surprise before he hesitantly but gratefully took his offer and allowed himself to be pulled back up to his feet._

_"Thanks…" Otoya said as people started murmuring amongst each other again._

_"You said before that you were asking for a job, correct?" Masato asked._

_Otoya looked at him curiously. "Eh? Well yeah, but-"_

_"Come work for me." Masato said firmly._

_The crowed went completely silent in shock as Otoya stared speechless at the prince._

_"Eh?" Otoya managed._

_"What are you doing?!" the shopkeeper cried. "That lousy mutt is-"_

_Masato shot the man a cold glare, stopping the man mid-sentence. _

_"So what you're saying is that animals are just wild beasts that need to be locked up in cages?"_

_The prince slowly stalked over to the man, who took a couple steps back, until he stood directly in front of him._

_"But tell me, if that's true, then how would it be any different from putting swine like you behind bars?"_

_Everyone looked at Masato in disbelief, especially the shopkeeper who was sweating bullets at this time._

_"Or maybe I could send you over to our allies in Eastern Kingdom. I'm sure they would love to hear your racist remarks."_

_Masato then backed off and the shopkeeper immediately went scrambling back to his shop, stumbling along the way._

_Before another word could be said, Masato turned towards the crowd._

_"Have you all forgotten how animals have helped advance society? Not only that but they have helped ward off Guardian attacks on several occasions."_

_"A-All right! Everyone move along! There is nothing more to see here!" the knight announced in a rather unconvincing fashion. _

_Eventually, the knight was able to disperse the crowd, leaving Masato and Otoya._

_"Thanks," Otoya said. "That was pretty awesome of you back there."_

_Masato glanced over to the side. "Don't let what they said get to you."_

_A weary sigh escaped from Otoya's mouth. "Yeah, but I'm used to people treating me that way, considering I come from a run-down orphanage."_

_"Your background and race shouldn't matter, everyone deserves to be treated with respect." Masato said in a firm tone._

_Otoya couldn't help but chuckle as he sheepishly scratched his cheek. "If only everyone felt the same way you did. This country would definitely be a lot better off without racial barriers."_

_Masato fell silent in thought for a moment before turning back to Otoya._

_"Well, we should get you ready for work tomorrow."_

_"Eh?" Otoya said dumbfounded. "Y-You were serious when you said to come work for you?"_

_Masato nodded. "Of course. It may not be a high paying job, but I think I can manage to get you something at the palace." _

_Otoya's eyes widened in disbelief and shock. The prince of Southern Kingdom was really asking him to work for him? _

_Shaking off his initial shock, Otoya took a step forward. "Y-You mean it? You would really give me a job just like that?"_

_"Do you have any other offers?" Masato asked._

_"But what if I really was a horrible monster like that guy said I was just playing the victim?" _

_"If that's the case then if I suspect you of treason, I will personally dispatch you." Masato replied as he placed a hand over the hilt of his sword at his side._

_Otoya stared at him in surprise before he broke out into laughter. He grabbed his hand and shook it furiously. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! You won't regret it sir, I promise!"_

_"I would prefer you not call me 'sir'."_

_"Eh…well I actually don't know your name," Otoya said with an embarrassed chuckle. "What is it by the way?"_

_Masato gave him an incredulous look before letting out a small sigh. "Masato Hijirikawa." _

_"Then how about I call you 'Masa'?" _

_"…Do what you want."_

**_-End of Flashback-_**

"It's all thanks to Masa that I wasn't arrested under false charges and that I'm where I am now," Otoya said. "I owe him a lot. I mean, he even had to pull some strings for me to be able to work here. I work my absolute hardest so that one day I could possibly pay him back."

He turned to look at Haruka. "You and me are pretty similar in how we were given these jobs."

"Eh?"

"If you think about it, what he did for us was actually really gracious of him. You said yourself that you were searching for a job, right? He gave you one on the spot and also a place to stay. He was probably just saying you owed him as an excuse to help you out."

Haruka widened her eyes in surprise before she glanced down and fiddled with the damp shirt in her hands.

"…He is really kind."

Taking notice of this nervous action, Otoya knew something was definitely bothering her.

"Hey, are you and Masa doing okay?" Otoya asked.

Haruka immediately stiffened, causing Otoya's suspicions to be confirmed. Something obviously happened between the two of them

"W-Why do you ask?"

"You've been acting kind of strange around him lately. I don't know what happened between you and Masa," Otoya started. "But it would be best to just talk things out with him if there's a problem. Believe me, he's a lot more understanding than he seems."

A look of uncertainty still remained on Haruka's face as a small blush spread across her cheeks. "Y-You really think I should talk to him about it?"

Otoya nodded. "If it makes you feel any better, I'll go with you if you want."

Haruka was hesitant and Otoya wondered what could have possibly happened to make her act like this.

Heaving a sigh, Haruka finally nodded. "Okay…"

Otoya smiled. "All right, let's hurry up and finish the laundry then."

* * *

Later that day, Otoya accompanied Haruka as she went to go deliver Masato's afternoon tea.

They stood in front of his office's door as Haruka desperately tried to gain control of her nerves.

Otoya could tell that Haruka was incredibly nervous as her hands were shaking, making the cup on the tray rattle.

He placed a hand reassuringly on her shoulder. "Relax, it'll be okay."

Haruka took in a breath in a last resort to calm herself before gingerly knocking at the door.

Both of them entered the office to see Masato working diligently with a large stack of paperwork towering beside him.

"That's an awful lot of paperwork you have there, Masa." Otoya commented.

The prince let out a small sigh. "I would have been halfway done by now if it weren't for mister Le bel. He only left about half an hour ago."

"Ah…" Otoya said with a sympathetic smile. He had a feeling that Sakuya would stretch the conversation for as long as possible. Though he didn't expect it to drag on that long considering he had first left Masato's office nearly four hours ago.

Otoya glanced over his shoulder to see Haruka still standing near the doorway.

"Nanami?" Otoya called, snapping Haruka out of her thoughts.

Haruka flinched and glanced at Otoya hesitantly. The redhead gave her a reassuring smile and gestured for her to go ahead.

Masato glanced from Otoya to Haruka, silently wondering what was going on.

Taking a breath, Haruka went over and placed the tray down on Masato's desk.

The prince eyed the teacup suspiciously as he gingerly picked up the cup.

"What's going on? You two are acting suspicious," Masato said, swishing the cup's contents.

"U-Um…" Haruka said as she fidgeted nervously, her face becoming considerably red.

'You can do it Nanami!' Otoya mentally cheered.

"Is…"

"Hm?" Masato looked at the young woman curiously.

"Is…Is it true that you prefer men?!"

* * *

**A/N: This chapter went through so many revisions it's not even funny. I started writing it first in Masato's pov but then at the last minute changed it to Otoya's pov. So I had to rewrite the whole thing. ^^; Well hopefully you all enjoyed this chapter of Otoya fluff. He's never been a particular favorite of mine but I developed a newfound respect for him. **

**Also a head's up, I'll be inserting some other characters from other otomes into this. If you want me to point them out and say where they're from then feel free to tell me and I'll make an extra note of it. Thanks for reading!**


	5. This Dream is Always Knocking

_Disclaimer: I own none of the characters except for OC's  
_

* * *

_**This Dream is Always Knocking...**_

"Is it true that you prefer men?!" Haruka suddenly blurted.

"…Eh?" Otoya said blankly as Masato's cup slipped out of his grasp and fell back onto his desk, spilling over the document he had been working on. Even he had a blank yet completely shocked look on his face.

'Grandma…I think I just made things a hundred times, no…a thousand times more awkward!' Haruka said to herself, realizing that probably wasn't the smartest way to address the situation.

_**-A week ago-**_

_"It's about time for lunch. Care to join me?" Masato offered._

_Haruka was hesitant at first but realized that this could be a good opportunity to be able to get to know her employer better. _

_"Well, if you insist, I suppose it would be nice. Thank you so much!" Haruka said with a warm smile._

* * *

'I know I said this would be a good chance to get to know him better…' Haruka said to herself as she stared awkwardly down at her lap. 'But now I have no idea what to say to him!'

Though she had been thrilled to receive an invitation to eat with the prince, there was still an awkward tension hanging in the air.

She was currently sitting at a long, nicely furnished wooden table. Masato sat across from her, quietly eating his meal. Haruka was thankful however that they weren't seated on the very ends of the table. That would have made the situation a lot more awkward than it already was.

'Why does this keep happening…?' Haruka wondered to herself as she glanced up at Masato.

He looked as calm and composed as ever. It was as if the situation didn't affect him at all.

* * *

_'What should I do?!'_ Masato mentally shouted, desperately trying to get a grip of his rising emotions.

Despite seeming calm outwardly, he was sweating bullets on the inside. He doesn't know how to talk to women, considering he was almost always surrounded by male servants and tutors. Though there were maids, he never held a conversation with them. He knew he had to treat girls with respect and care (at least that's what he read) but he didn't know how to talk to one for an extensive amount of time.

So sitting alone with his new attendant was a bit nerve wracking on his part. He didn't know what to talk about that could possibly ease the awkward silence that had fallen between them.

_'This always happens…'_ Masato sighed to himself.

Whenever they were alone, he could never think of anything to say to get a nice conversation going. Their talk in the hallway must have been the most words spoken between them and it frustrated Masato that he couldn't talk to her without getting tongue-tied.

He glanced up at the young woman sitting across from him. She had hardly touched her meal and was staring intently at her lap. It seemed as if she was affected by the awkward silence as well.

_'You're going to be ruler of this Kingdom someday, so stop acting like a coward and talk to her!'_ Masato berated himself. _'A simple question will suffice!'_

He suddenly cleared his throat, causing Haruka to flinch at the sudden break in the silence. "So…tell me a little about yourself. Where are you from?"

_'That's good! Yes, a great way to start off a conversation!' _

Haruka looked at him in surprise before responding, "I grew up in a small village near the eastern border with my grandmother. When I was young, I was very sickly, which is why my grandmother brought me to the countryside."

"What about your parents?"

Haruka paused for a moment as a sorrowful gleam passed over her eyes.

"My parents died when I was little so I remember practically nothing about them."

The sudden shift in the mood caused Masato to panic slightly. He hadn't meant to make her remember painful memories.

_'That was the wrong thing to ask... What in the world were you thinking, idiot?!'_

"Ah…I'm sorry." Masato said quickly.

Haruka however gave him a small smile and shook her head. "Don't be. Even though I didn't know my parents, my grandmother was always there for me. Everyday was always a lot of fun."

Masato's shoulders relaxed a little in relief. "I see. It's best to move forward past the pain rather than linger in self-pity. That's what makes you stronger."

_'Huh, not bad.'_

A bright smile spread across Haruka's face, causing Masato's heart to nearly skip a beat.

"It does, doesn't it?"

Masato had to restrain himself from placing a hand over his chest. She would definitely question his action, which he wouldn't even know how to explain. Why had his heart beat like that when she smiled? However this wasn't the first time he felt like this.

'Why does this feel so familiar…?' Masato wondered, trying to wrack his brain on when he felt like this before.

"Are you okay?" Haruka asked, snapping Masato out of his thoughts.

"Ah, I apologize. I was just thinking about something," Masato replied, hoping she wouldn't ask about what was currently going through his mind. So he decided to change the subject.

"I have some free time after lunch, would you mind if I showed you something?"

Haruka looked at him curiously. "Of course. What do you want to show me?"

A small smile formed on his lips. "You'll see."

The rest of the meal turned out rather pleasant as Masato engaged Haruka in small talk here and there. After a while, Masato found it fairly easy to talk to the young woman, it almost felt natural.

Haruka also seemed to ease into talking with him and her smiles became even brighter.

Her smiles were infectious and he couldn't help but offer a couple of his own throughout their conversations.

Once they were finished with their meal, Masato led her outside of the palace. They rounded to the back and when Masato brought Haruka to their destination, her eyes widened with awe.

They were standing amongst a beautiful garden. There was a single stone path that weaved itself around the whole area. Several different patches of flowers lined along the path with several different assortments of trees hung in the back. Most of the trees were cherry blossoms.

"It's so beautiful…" Haruka said in admiration.

Masato nodded. "Jii makes sure that the garden is maintained everyday since I often come here to clear my head."

"I don't blame you. It really is quite lovely," Haruka replied as she glanced up at him. "Thanks for showing me this."

A small bit of red dusted Masato's cheeks, as he turned away, unable to meet her eye at the moment.

"You're very welcome."

_'What's with the attitude? Look at her when you speak!' _

Pushing away his thoughts, Masato watched as Haruka went over and examined the different assortment of flowers.

It was nice to be able to see her so relaxed. Ever since he brought her to work at the palace, she always looked anxious and uneasy.

He let out another sigh. If only he'd have been more honest as to why he had given her the job from the start then maybe she wouldn't have been so intimidated. Though he figured it was a little late for that now. The least he could do was ease the tension that they had unintentionally built.

Masato followed Haruka as she happily explored the garden's wonders. She was like a curious child exploring somewhere new and exciting, which Masato found endearing. The way that her golden eyes shone with excitement and awe, accompanied by her smile made her so much more radiant.

"Oh!"

Haruka hurried down a pathway, which led to the garden pavilion that was surrounded by a small pond. Masato couldn't help let a few chuckles escape from his lips at her reaction. It was obvious this was her first time seeing such a garden.

He stopped midway down the bridge to the garden pavilion before looking up at the sky. The sun was still high which meant it had to still be around early afternoon. If he didn't head back soon, someone would definitely notice and come running to find him.

"We should head back soon," Masato called, slightly disappointed that this peaceful time they were having together had to end. Hopefully they would have more times like this. It was nice to be able to appreciate the garden's beauty with another person.

Haruka called back in acknowledgement before standing underneath the pavilion. She gave one final look at the structure before heading back towards Masato.

However, as she made her way down the path, the toe of her shoe hit a piece of the pavement that was sticking out. She let out a surprised cry as she stumbled forward.

Everything started moving in slow motion as Masato's eyes widened in alarm and he quickly darted forward, stretching out his arms to catch her.

Luckily, he was able to reach her in time. However, Haruka's momentum caught Masato off guard and both were sent hurtling into the pond with a giant splash.

Thankfully the pond was only knee deep and Masato was able to stay above the surface by sitting. He was leaning back with his arms supporting him with Haruka on top of him.

Despite their soaked state, Masato was more bewildered by something soft pressing against his lips. His eyes widened with shock upon realizing that he and Haruka were currently sharing an accidental kiss.

Masato's mind went completely blank. 'What...?'

Haruka slowly opened her eyes before widening them as well in bewilderment.

Neither made a move, not knowing what to do in this situation.

However, the moment was broken when Haruka let out a flustered gasp. She nearly flew off him as she scrambled backwards, her face completely red.

"I-I-I-I am so s-s-sorry!" Haruka stammered, as she bowed apologetically.

Masato quickly snapped back to reality in time to answer. "…It's all right. It was an accident."

It took nearly all of his willpower to prevent any sort of blush to form on his cheeks and stable his voice. "Are you all right?"

Haruka nodded a bit hesitantly as Masato rose to his feet. He slightly grimaced upon seeing how drenched his clothes were but decided there were more important things to deal with.

He reached down and offered his hand to Haruka.

She was hesitant at first but eventually took his hand, allowing him to pull her up.

Before he could say anything however, a familiar voice called out.

"YOUNG MASTER!"

Masato winced upon hearing his butler and quickly dropped Haruka's hand.

The older man came rushing out into the open, stopping right at the pond's edge.

"Young master, what happened?! How did this-!" Jii stopped upon seeing Masato and Haruka standing in the pond and immediately narrowed his eyes. "You! How dare you soil the young master's suit not to mention you could have caused him unnecessary harm!"

"Jii, calm down," Masato said, trying to make sure his irritation was withheld from his voice. "It was an accident. Besides, we're not injured."

"Hmph! I knew it was a mistake bringing this woman into the palace," Jii commented. "She's been nothing but trouble since working here."

Haruka recoiled at his statement and glanced to the side guiltily. Her reaction caused Masato to narrow his eyes and shoot a scolding glare at his butler. However, the older man ignored him for the moment.

"This is why I am against you bringing random people off the street into the palace, servants or not. All of them have caused a considerable amount of damage while working here."

"That is quite enough, Jii," Masato snapped. Though his voice was mostly even, he couldn't help but allow a bit of anger slip into his tone.

Both Jii and Haruka looked up at him in surprise.

"_They _are doing the best that they can and I will not tolerate you berating them because of a few mishaps." Masato said in a firm tone.

"But young master-"

Masato held up a hand, cutting off Jii's argument. "That is final."

Before Jii could protest further, Masato reached over and grabbed hold of Haruka's hand and quickly led her back to the palace.

Haruka let out a squeak of surprise as Masato practically dragged her back to the palace; similarly to the way he did when they first met.

In their haste, both Masato and Haruka failed to notice a figure standing behind one of the cherry blossoms, observing them.

"Huh…interesting…"

* * *

As Masato pulled her down one of the extensive halls of the palace, Haruka couldn't help but blush.

Who could blame her? She had her first kiss (accident it may be but it was still a kiss) and was currently holding hands with him.

However, ever since the mini squabble with Jii, Masato had not spoken a word to her after they had left the garden.

It was as if everything had reset and the prince was back to being cold and detached as he had been when she started working at the palace. Maybe he was bothered by what Jii had said to him.

A small frown formed on her face. Just when she had thought the prince and her were getting along. He probably thought she was just a burden, which was why he wasn't speaking to her.

"It would be best to get you out of those clothes and into something dry as soon as possible," Masato said, without turning to look at her. "We wouldn't want you catching a cold."

Haruka glanced down at the ground before giving a small hum of agreement. She felt him tense slightly before his grip slackened and hung loosely around her wrist.

Both continued in silence until they reached Haruka's room.

"I'll inform one of the maids to bring you a spare uniform along with some towels," Masato said monotonously, avoiding direct eye contact. "Once you're done, you will be shown another one of your duties."

"Okay…thank you." Haruka replied.

With out another word, Masato walked off, leaving Haruka to herself once more.

* * *

Not long after the prince left, a maid delivered a dry uniform to Haruka's room along with some towels. She quickly dried off using the towels the maid had left and got dressed. Once she was done, she went over and sat down on the bed.

So many things had happened that Haruka didn't know what to think. She gingerly reached up and touched her lips, remembering the strange sensation of touching someone else's lips with her own.

'His lips were really soft…' Haruka thought to herself.

She suddenly realized what she was thinking and turned a considerable shade of red.

'No, no, no, no, no! Stop thinking about it!'

If she didn't stop thinking about the accidental kiss, she wasn't sure if she would be able to meet the prince's gaze.

A sudden knock at the door snapped Haruka out of her thoughts, nearly causing her heart to fly out of her chest.

Deciding it would be best to address the situation later, she pushed her thoughts to the back of her mind and made her way to the door.

When she opened it, a tall man with layered black hair, seemingly in his mid thirties stood in the doorway. However, his most notable trait was the eye patch covering his left eye.

Haruka recalled seeing the man on several occasions by the prince's side. Tomochika had informed her that the man was the Hijirikawas' bodyguard and regularly patrols the palace. She had never met him personally but he always seemed a bit aloof, hardly ever talking to any of the other servants.

"You're my lord's attendant?" the man asked in a completely disinterested tone.

Haruka nodded slowly, assuming he was referring to Masato. "Y-Yes? You're Kaito, the Hijirikawas' bodyguard?"

"Huh…I suppose," the man replied with a shrug.

'He supposes…?' Haruka thought in confusion, feeling a bit of suspicion prick at her side. Though she decided to disregard it.

"Anyways, my lord informed me that I would be showing you to your newest duty. If you'd follow me."

"Oh! Yes," Haruka said as Kaito already started walking away.

He slowed down a little, allowing Haruka to catch up with him.

"You're the one who shouted out how you didn't want to be my lord's mistress, right?" Kaito asked without turning around to look at her.

Haruka's face immediately flushed bright red. "T-That…!"

Memories on the kiss earlier came flooding into her thoughts, causing Haruka's pulse to increase.

"There was no need to worry about that in the first place," Kaito commented in a bored tone.

Haruka looked at him curiously, snapping out of her anxiety. "Why?"

Kaito paused and turned to face Haruka. "You really want to know?"

The question caused Haruka to be a little suspicious. However, curiosity got the better of her and hesitantly nodded.

He gestured with his hand for her to come closer, which Haruka complied. She leaned her head towards him as Kaito cupped his hand against her ear and whispered, "There's a rumor that the prince actually prefers men."

"Eh?" Haruka said blankly as she slowly tried to process the information she was given.

After a moment, Haruka's face went completely red once again.

"WHHHHHAAAAAAAATTTTT?!"

Kaito quickly clamped his hand over her mouth and pressed his finger against his lips. "Shhh! Do you want to attract everyone in the palace's attention?"

"S-Sorry…" Haruka said in a muffled voice before Kaito released her. "B-But…is it really true?"

The older man shrugged. "He's declined all marriage proposals and has never showed any interest in girls. Not to mention that people have caught him staring at other guys."

"Huh…" Haruka said, clearly taken aback by the news. However, thinking back, Haruka realized that Masato didn't seem bothered by the fact that they had accidentally shared a kiss. With this information, it made sense of the prince's lack of expression.

"Hmmm," Kaito mused as he rubbed the scruff on his chin thoughtfully. "Now that I think about it, he's been surrounded by mostly male servants all his life so it's not surprising. Well in any case, moving on."

Before Haruka could respond, Kaito was already walking away. Haruka wasn't sure how to take the new information. Especially since she had to deliver his evening tea in a few hours.

'How am I supposed to look him in the eye now…?' Haruka thought helplessly as she hurriedly followed after Kaito.

Since his back was facing towards her, Haruka couldn't see the small, devious smirk that appeared on the man's face.

'Very interesting, indeed…'

* * *

When he reached the comfort of his office after changing, Masato sat down at his desk and stared blankly at the wall.

Once everything that happened sank in, his face flushed bright red. He reached up and covered his mouth with his hand, feeling the heat from his burning cheeks.

The accidental kiss continued to replay in his head, causing his blush to burn brighter.

_'Stop thinking about it! Or else you'll never be able to look her in the eye again!' _Masato shouted internally.

Though he was bothered by how Jii spoke poorly of those he chose to serve at the palace, it wasn't enough to fully distract him.

He knew it would be best for them both to forget the incident and move on. However, it proved to be a bit more difficult as Masato just couldn't get the scenario out of his mind.

_'Calm down…just calm down!' _Masato thought furiously. He was thankful that he was alone as it was undignified to be seen so flustered.

_'Forget about the incident, it will do you no good if you keep on obsessing over it.'_

Masato drew in a long breath, trying desperately to get a hold of his feelings. He ran a hand through his hair in exasperation. Just when Haruka was beginning to be comfortable around him but then _that _happened. To make matters worse, he ended up acting cold towards her afterwards because he didn't know how to react.

He gracelessly dropped his head onto his desk with a loud thud, hoping that the pain may provide some kind of distraction to the unsettling thoughts racing through his head. Dealing with this kind of thing was definitely not what Masato was accustomed to and it proved to be a lot more challenging than he had hoped for.

_'Someone just put me out of my misery…' _

Little did he know that Haruka was plagued with a completely different thought that would remain unspoken for a week.

* * *

**_-Back in the Present-_**

The room was still deathly silent, causing Haruka's nerves to act up.

"…Do you always blurt out unnecessary things when you're nervous?"

Haruka looked up to see Masato staring at her with a disgruntled expression. She mentally smacked herself. It was obvious that she must have offended him.

"Erm…So is it true?" Otoya asked hesitantly.

Masato immediately shot him a fierce glare, causing Otoya to cower away from the blue-haired man.

"Sorry! Forget I asked!" Otoya cried. "Ah, um…I'm going to go get some towels to clean up the mess…"

He quickly excused himself and ran out of the room, leaving Haruka and Masato to sort out the situation themselves.

An awkward silence fell upon them once more, though Masato was still staring at her as if waiting for her to explain herself.

"I-I'm sorry…I don't mean to be judgmental, it's just that-"

"Did a man with an eye patch tell you that?" Masato said, cutting off her flustered apology.

"Huh?" Haruka said in surprise. "How did you know?"

Masato let out an exasperated sigh.

"Don't take whatever that idiot has to say seriously," Masato explained, a small vein pulsing on his cheek. "He was merely teasing you."

"So then you-"

"NO," Masato said firmly before irritably running a hand through his hair. "I swear, that idiot…"

Haruka cast her eyes down at the floor sadly. "I'm being a nuisance again…aren't I?"

Masato snapped his gaze back on Haruka in shock. "What?"

"Ever since coming here I've done nothing but be a burden," Haruka said dejectedly. "If you don't want me working for you any longer, I'll understand."

The prince didn't hesitate. He quickly got up and walked over to Haruka. Before she could ask what he was doing, he reached up and patted her soothingly on the head.

"Ah, so that was bothering you," Masato said with a small sigh, recalling Jii's words a week ago.

His hand slipped down and gently caressed Haruka's cheek, wiping a stray tear from her eye with his thumb.

"I had imagined you would have thought better of me by now. No one is perfect. Besides, if you don't make mistakes, you can't learn from them. You haven't poisoned me since that time Shinomiya helped you make that tea."

Haruka glanced up at the prince with a trembling gaze. "Your Highness…"

He gave her a small, reassuring smile. "You mustn't drop your gaze at small mishaps. Raise your head high and work to overcome them. Don't let other people's words make you doubt your abilities. Have more confidence in yourself."

Haruka's eyes widened in surprise, touched by his words. A smile found its way onto her lips as a tinge of red dusted her cheeks.

"Okay…thank you."

Masato's hand slightly twitched before a small blush appeared on his own cheeks.

'Cute…'

Upon realizing his thoughts, he quickly retracted his hand, earning him a confused expression from Haruka.

An awkward cough escaped from his lips as his blush grew brighter.

"In any case, I think I'll need a new cup of tea," Masato said as he glanced back at the spilled drink on his desk.

"I'll be happy to get you a new cup," Haruka replied with a smile and bowed politely. "If you'll excuse me, I'll be right back with it."

Masato watched as she left his office, definitely in higher spirits than she had been in a week. It gave him a sense of relief knowing that the awkwardness between them would hopefully be erased.

However, it slightly embarrassed him that they were internally freaking out about two different things.

Another sigh passed through Masato's lips as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He wasn't sure if he should be relieved or disappointed that Haruka had forgotten about their accidental kiss so quickly.

* * *

**_~OOOOO~_**

_It was snowing again and Haruka trudged her way down an unknown path. It was barely visible due to the snow, but she continued pressing forward._

_She couldn't see anything but snow, that's all there was._

_Where was she going? She didn't know but somehow her feet seemed to have a destination in mind._

_Suddenly, the ground started shaking for a split second. Haruka paused and looked around but saw nothing but darkness and snow. That was strange. It wasn't dark a moment ago._

_The ground started trembling again. It didn't feel like an earthquake. No, there was a momentary pause in between each quake, it couldn't be._

_While Haruka tried to figure out what was going on, the vibrations seemed to get stronger with each passing moment._

_That's when Haruka realized: they were footsteps._

_Without another hesitation, Haruka took off in a full sprint, desperate to get away from whatever was coming._

_However, no matter how fast she ran, the footsteps continued to get closer and closer._

_Her thoughts were racing through her head as fear gripped tightly onto her heart. Whatever was coming, Haruka was desperate to get away from it._

_She looked over her shoulder and her breath immediately got caught in her throat._

_A giant, monstrous figure with glowing yellow eyes was looming right behind her. She couldn't make out the details due to its body being covered in shadow._

_Haruka's eyes widened in terror and let out a horrified cry, her heart beating wildly in her chest. She desperately tried to run faster as the shadowed monster slowly reached out a giant, clawed hand towards her._

_"RETURN…"_

_'No…'_

_"RETURN…TO…"_

_"NO!" Haruka cried before the hand closed around her, swallowing her in darkness._

Haruka let out a gasp as she shot up in bed, covered in sweat.

Moonlight shown through the blinds, spilling out onto the hard, wooden floors.

She frantically looked around, seeing that she was in her room. Glancing over to the side, she spotted Tomochika sleeping soundly in her own bed, the sight giving Haruka a small sense of relief.

Haruka was still breathing heavily as her heart beat rapidly against her chest. She shakily pressed a hand against chest, taking shallow breaths to try and calm herself down.

"It was just a dream…" Haruka sighed in relief. "I'm in my room...everything is all right."

The shadowed figure came back to mind, causing Haruka's whole body to start trembling.

'What…was that thing…?' Haruka wondered as her heartbeat picked up again.

She quietly laid back in bed, trying desperately to ease back to sleep and to forget about the giant shadow.

_**...On the Mind**_

* * *

**A/N: Well...this definitely turned out longer than I expected. Darn me and my need for Masato/Haruka fluff. (/▽*＼) A fairly quick update considering I actually had this written out for the chapter before, but was scrapped due to a better idea, so here it is.  
**

**Kaito is an OC that I decided to try out. I'm always hesitant to put OC's in my fics but I decided to try putting one in and see how he does. Anyways, hope you all enjoyed~**

******Biased? I'm not biased. Not at all...  
Previous chapter that focused on Otoya: 3,601 words  
This chapter that focused on Masato: 4,541 words  
...No comment.**


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